This is a Prussian Grenadiermütze (grenadier mitre cap) of officer's grade, attributed to the Garde-Grenadier-Regiment Kaiser Alexander Nr. 1 (Guard Grenadier Regiment Kaiser Alexander No. 1), one of the most distinguished formations of the Imperial German Guard Corps. Officer's mitres from the Guard Grenadier regiments are among the most seldom-encountered pieces of Prussian militaria to appear on the collector market, and a confirmed example from the Kaiser Alexander regiment — the senior guard grenadier regiment, bearing its unique "SUUM CUIQUE" honor — represents a genuinely significant acquisition.

 

The front plate is formed of lacquered brass in the tall, pointed arch characteristic of the Prussian grenadier mitre pattern. Applied to this plate are two separate fittings in silver-finished metal: an upper Prussian royal crown and, centered below it, a large starburst with finely cut radiating rays. The central medallion of the starburst consists of a gilt ring bearing the Latin motto "SUUM CUIQUE" — meaning "To Each His Own" — surrounding a black-enameled Prussian eagle on a gilt ground, with green-enameled laurel branches and red berries beneath the eagle. This device — the star and motto of the Orden vom Schwarzen Adler (Order of the Black Eagle), Prussia's highest order of chivalry — was carried as a regimental distinction by the Kaiser Alexander regiment alone within the Prussian Guard. No other regiment bore this specific honor in the same form, making the frontplate medallion both the definitive attribution marker for this piece and a direct expression of the unit's dynastic connection to the Hohenzollern crown.

 

The cap body consists of a pale natural-toned sheepskin Stulpe (turn-up band) wrapping the lower circumference, bordered with silver-grey lace braid. The upper Beutel (bag, or crown) is constructed of crimson scarlet wool felt, divided by a central vertical seam and edged with the same silver-grey braid along its perimeter and meeting edges. The combination of white fur, crimson felt, and silver lace is precisely correct for an officer-grade piece of this regiment. Mounted on each side of the fur turn-up is a cast brass Granate (grenade ornament) — a sphere surmounted by a rising flame — the traditional emblem of grenadier troops dating to the seventeenth century and retained through the Imperial period as both functional badge and institutional symbol. At the lower edge, brass overlapping fish-scale Schuppenkette (chinscales) are present. At the apex of the mitre is the officer's Pompon, a tightly woven dark cylindrical fitting with an acorn-shaped lower knot, consistent in form with officer-grade examples of the period.

 

The Garde-Grenadier-Regiment Kaiser Alexander Nr. 1 was named in honor of Tsar Alexander I of Russia, reflecting the close dynastic and military relationship between Prussia and Russia that developed through the Napoleonic Wars and endured into the Imperial era. The conferral of the Order of the Black Eagle star and the motto "SUUM CUIQUE" upon the regiment was a mark of extraordinary royal distinction, connecting the unit directly to Prussia's highest honor. Within the organizational structure of the Imperial Guard Corps under the Kaiserreich (1871–1918), the regiment garrisoned Berlin and stood among the formations most closely associated with the person of the Kaiser and the ceremonial life of the court. By the late Imperial period, the mitre had evolved from its origins as a practical campaign headdress for elite grenadier troops of the eighteenth century into a ceremonial parade cap carrying the full institutional weight of that lineage. Officers commissioned these pieces from top Berlin military outfitters at considerable personal expense, and they were produced in numbers proportional only to the officer strength of a single regiment.

 

On the interior, a partial stencil is visible on the red felt beneath the deteriorated leather sweatband. The legible fragments visible in the images include what appears to be a maker or supplier name, with the letters "...ETALL...OHSE" and "Ber..." — the latter almost certainly indicating Berlin as the city of manufacture or supply. The stencil is partially obscured by material deterioration and cannot be read in full from the provided images.

 

The exterior of this mitre presents solidly. The lacquered brass front plate carries a warm, aged patina with surface oxidation consistent with its age. The silver-finished frontplate fittings — crown and starburst — show natural finish loss and surface graininess to the starburst rays, honest wear throughout, and no evidence of cleaning or polishing. The enamel in the central medallion retains strong, well-defined color — the black eagle, green laurel, and red berries all intact — with no visible restoration apparent in the provided images. The crimson felt bag is structurally intact with good color retention. The white fur Stulpe is present with expected age toning and soiling. The silver-grey lace braid is present throughout on all edges. The interior leather sweatband is significantly deteriorated — cracked, split, and partially separated from its substrate — which is characteristic of aged organic materials of this period and has no effect on the structural integrity or display presentation of the piece. The interior red felt is present and retains its color. The chinscales and side grenade ornaments are solid and properly mounted.

 

For the collector of Prussian Guard material, a fully attributed officer's mitre from the Garde-Grenadier-Regiment Kaiser Alexander Nr. 1 is an exceptional and genuinely uncommon piece. These caps were expensive personal commissions produced in limited numbers relative to any regiment's officer strength, and they have always appeared thinly on the market. The presence of the "SUUM CUIQUE" medallion makes the regimental attribution unambiguous. Material of this type belongs in serious private Guard collections or institutional contexts, and it is actively sought by collectors focused on the ceremonial culture of the Prussian military and the Guard Corps specifically.